We are all walking wounds Chimeras and Illusions trigger us And then we fall into a deep hole Lashing out at shadows that don‘t exist And hurting real people who never hurt us And who don’t know why we‘re hurting them Inside them where they walk their own wounds. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Of human beings
GENTLY TREAD
Just because I‘m alive doesn‘t mean I‘m not dead
Just because I‘m talking doesn’t mean anything has been said
Just because I‘m lost doesn’t mean I‘m not being led
You might still be hungry, even after you‘ve been fed,
when you’ve been fed stones instead of bread
Those who heal wounds today, have also once bled.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
SEEING THROUGH
One of the downsides of seeing through humanity
Is that nothing inspires or excites you anymore
Or fills you with a sense of expectation…
Because you always bear the sad certainty
Within you
Of knowing how things are going to end.
One of the upsides of seeing through humanity
Is that nothing disappoints and shocks you anymore
Or fills you with a sense of hopelessness…
Because you always bear the the quiet recognition
Through experiencing
Of knowing that things always re-start.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
WEAKNESS
The greatest strength
is the strength to look beyond
your own strength
and find in your weakness
strength in other people’s strength.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
#poemsthatmakeyouthink
LISTEN
Always hear the unsaid when people talk;
Perceive the noise in the silence.
See the hidden stumble in their walk;
Read the unwritten hope for peace
Even in their threats of violence.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
GET USED TO BLACK
Black is not a fad, and not a trend –
It was here first & it is here to stay ‘til the end.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
BOYS TO MEN
The older I get,
The more I miss my father.
The more knowing I grow,
The more I miss him.
The more I know him.
The more I understand him.
We live life forwards,
But understand life backwards.
When it‘s too late to change anything,
That’s when we understand everything.
The young shall grow.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
(I just feel like remembering today)
ONE DAY IT’LL BE TOO LATE
If you’re mad and you know you’re mad
Are you mad?
If you’re sad and you know you’re sad
Why don’t you smile?
If you’re bad and you know you’re bad
Then you know what’s good –
If you’re glad and you know you’re glad
Share it and make someone else smile.
Life is going by so quick
Not just the individual life of you and me
Sometimes one has this strange feeling
That humankind itself also
Won’t be here forever
Our species too will die out
Inspite – or because – of all our great knowledge.
One by one, we will bury each other
And after the last sister has buried her last brother
Her final prayer before she too quietly departs
Will be that God forgive all our human hearts
For not understanding on time
That only Love furnishes the perfect last rhyme.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
THE FRIEND SHIP
It‘s strange how what we call deep Love ends so quickly, and what we call just Friendship lasts and lasts and lasts.
It‘s funny how love affairs come and go, but Friendships remain and grow.
It‘s interesting how the things that touch the body can become uninteresting tomorrow, but the things that focus only on the spirit will always understand you and always be there.
Many people are more loyal to their friends than to their partners. Ever wondered why?
Many people are more open to their friends than to their partners. It causes some people pain, and yet some will defend it with their lives.
Many people feel misunderstood by their partners, but are deeply understood by their friends – and often wonder why they cannot find both in one.
Friendship is a treasure, a gift, a blessing, a wonderful wonderful bond. Treasure your friends, for you will have only few. And if you have a partner, may he or she be one of them.
When all else is dead and dark, and all hope is gone, true Friendship will show you the way back Home to Paradise.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
ALL WE SEE IS THE OUTSIDE
They say I was born rich
So nobody nobody nobody
Wipes my tears when I weep
Not my rich father
Nor my poor mother
Not my sister, not my brother
Not my society or any other
Only my own hands
Only my own hands
Gonna wipe my own tears
I’ve learnt my lesson
Gonna be my own person
Lordy, I’m gonna be my own person
They say I was born gifted
So nobody nobody nobody
Feeds me when I’m down and hungry
Not my father who doesn’t understand me
Nor my mother who overrates me
Not my sister, not my brother though they love me
But they’ll never never know me
If you want to know humanity
Look down when you’re up
And look up when you’re down
And pray
To never get caught in the middle
The middle pays for the poor’s pains
And the rich’s gains
And goes to bed empty-handed on an empty stomach
Hungry for work that really pays the needed holidays
I’ve learnt my lesson
Lordy, I’m gonna be my own person.
They say I was born poor
So I have no right to share in the fruits of others’ labour
I should use my own gifts
And I should be grateful for every little favor
Favour is the taste of their flavour
But a drowning man’s got no choice
Truth and irony – they are my voice
That’s why nobody understands us.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 